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Riqui Puig’s second-half goal helps Galaxy beat Houston

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LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig (10) moves the ball followed by Houston Dynamo FC defender Micael (31) during the second half of an MLS soccer match at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California , Saturday May 25, 2024. LA Galaxy won 2-1. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., contributing photographer)

CARSON — The Galaxy haven’t been at home much this season, having to fight and pick up points in nine of the first 14 road games.

On Saturday, the Galaxy (6-2-7, 25 points) returned home after a road trip to Minnesota and Charlotte, and reintroduced themselves to their home fans with a 2-1 victory in front of 21,707 people at the Dignity Health Sports Park.

“It was a huge three-pointer,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “It feels like we’re on a road a lot and when you start that streak, four out of the next five at home, you want to take first no matter what.”

The Galaxy recently ended a streak of three games in eight days with three points, all draws, which adds importance to the upcoming stretch of matches which will see them play four of their next five games at home.

Riqui Puig broke the 1-1 tie with a perfectly placed right-footed shot into the bottom corner. The sequence opened thanks to a long central run from Gaston Brugman before feeding Pec on the left, who served Puig.

The Galaxy then went into defensive mode, trying to get the victory. In the 83rd minute, Galaxy coach Greg Vanney replaced two attackers (Dejan Joveljic and Diego Fagundez) for defensive midfielders Daniel Aguirre and Edwin Cerrillo to end the game.

Even then, it wasn’t easy to watch the match unfold. An almost colossal error almost occurred in the 86th minute. Martin Caceres’ back pass to goalkeeper John McCarthy was almost intercepted by a Houston attacker, but McCarthy was able to clear it.

It took the Galaxy a while, but they finally found their footing in the first half. Playing a second straight game with winger Joseph Paintsil, the Galaxy struggled at first to build up on the right, an area in which Paintsil usually dominated.

Trailing 1-0, Gabriel Pec, the Galaxy’s other new designated player, scored the equalizer. Miki Yamane created the opportunity to score, on the right, by removing the ball from the baseline and centering it towards the center where Pec was with an acrobatic header.

“I thought we struggled in the first half and that sets the tempo for the rest of the game,” Vanney said. “We couldn’t put pressure on the ball, we couldn’t win the ball back and we were starting our attacks in the wrong places and I thought we were just behind everything.”

Houston opened the scoring in the first half as McCarthy’s errant pass was intercepted by Latif Blessing, who scored, before McCarthy was able to regroup and get back to his line.

The Galaxy have a short turnaround with a midweek game Wednesday at home against FC Dallas, followed by a road game Saturday against the Chicago Fire.

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